Improvement in cotton-presses



. 2 Sheets- Sheet 1. CHARLES J. BEASL'EY.

improvement in Cotton Prds-ses. -'-No. 121,sn.

Patented Nov- 28,1871.

2 Sheets--Sheet CHARLES J. BEASLEY.

' lmnrovement 111 Cotton Presses.

Patented Nov. 28,1871.

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CHARLES J. BEASLEY, OF PETERSBUBG, VIRGINIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON-PRESSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,317, dated November2e, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES J. BEASLEY, of Petersburg, in the county ofDinwiddie and State of Virginia, have invented a new and ImprovedCotton-Press; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing making a part of this specification, in whichFigure 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2, a front elevation; Fig. 3, adetached side elevation, partly in section, showing the construction andoperation of the hoisting lever, ratchet, and pawl; and Fig. 4 is apartial side elevation, partly in section, showing the horse-power fordrawing the followers together.

This invention relatesto that class of presses which employs twofollowers-one moving upward and the other downward. The inventionconsists in the combination of two such followers in the mannerhereinafter described, so that the lower one in rising draws down theupper one part of the way, and when descending raises the upper one. Italso consists in the construction and arrangement of a lever foroperating the shaft on which are mounted the cords for adjusting thefollowers. And it finally consists in the combination, with said shaft,of a horsepower for drawing the followers together when it is preferablethat the other apparatus for doing the same thing should not be used.

Referring to the drawing, G G are the uprights, which guide thefollowers and support and form part of the case. Being arrangedcentrally in said case, they allow of easy access to the bale in orderto sew the corners thereof. A is the lower and B the upper follower. Gare arms, the length of which must be equal to the combined travel ofthe followers, said arms being jointed at the inner extremities to theends of the follower A and at their outer extremities to the lower endsof rods D, the upper ends of which are jointed to the upper follower B.To

each arm 0, at a point distant from the lower follower a little morethan half the length of the arm, are jointed the lower ends of a pair offulcrum-rods, E, the upper ends ofwhich are hinged to brackets F thatare bolted fast to the uprights G. The ropes N are fastened to the endsof the follower A and pass thence upward over sheaves e on the bracketsF; thence downward under sheaves d, mounted in supports that areattached to the uprights Gr, near the lower ends of the same; thenceover sheaves c at the ends of the arms 0; and thence to thewinding-shaft H, on which is fixed a ratchet-wheel, I. The shaft andratchet are turned by a lever, J, and retained by a detent, K. The leverJ is provided with a projection, b, which rides over and drops into thenotches of the ratchet-wheel I when the lever is raised. The lever J ispivoted upon the shaft H. The detent K is provided with an arm, L, whichacts as a brake on the ratchet I to retard the fall of the lowerfollower after the withdrawal of the detent from said ratchet. As thewinding-shaft rotates the ropes N shorten between the lower follower andthe brackets F, and consequently hoist the lower follower. The arms 0,turning on the joints of the fulcrum-rods E, lower their outer ends, andconsequently draw down the upper follower. As this movement proceeds theouter ends of the arms 0 descend below the inner ends of the same, andas soon as this occurs said arms begin to exert a pushing effect uponthe lower follower. The arms 0 also begin, as soon as their outer endsfall below the horizontal, to take upon themselves the office of drawingdown the upper follower independently of the action of the lowerfollower, thereby diminishing the strain upon the ropes and guide-rodsand transferring it to the arms 0. Thus the power of the press increasesdirectly as the resistance of the cotton. When the bale is complete andit is desired to release the followers, the lever J is pressed downwarduntil it strikes the box a that incloses the shaft, which bears thedetent K. This box, acting as a fulcrum, causes the inner end of thelever to rise, the slot fthat incloses the shaft H being long enough forthis purpose, until the projection b clears the ratchet I. The detent Kis then disengaged from the ratchet by pulling the cord M, leaving theratchet and shaft H free to turn backward under the weight of the lowerfollower, but still under the control of the brake L. The lower followerbeing heavier than the upper one, and the levers 0 having their longerarms on the sides next the lower follower, the latter, as it descends,raises the upper follower. The upper follower B rises above the top ofthe press-case and swings over to one side for the admission of thecotton. The sheaves (1 cause those parts of the cords N that are betweenthem and the sheaves 0 to be double, and thus to better endure thestrain upon them, which grows more severe the longer the compressionproceeds. The rods E exert no lifting action, but serve as movablefulcrums for the arms 0, and regulate the movements of the followers,causing these movements to begin and end at the same time. On the outerend of the shaft H, at the side of the press opposite the lever J, agrooved wheel, 0, is fixed, the same being made fast to the shaft bymeans of a clutch, 0, engaging with a clutch, o. By attaching a horse tothe end of a rope wound around this wheel and causing the horse to walkoff in a straight line, so as to unwind the rope and rotate the wheel 0and shaft H, the followers can be drawn together quicker than by theoperation of the lever J. To wind up the rope again, disconnect theclutches 0 and 0 and turn the wheel 0 by hand.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the followers A B, arms 0, fulcrum-rods E, andconnecting-rods D, as described, for the purpose of causing the lowerfollower, as it descends, to raise the upper follower.

2. The combination of the followers A B, arms 0, fulcrum-rods E,connecting-rods D, cords N, and winding-shaft H, as specified.

3. The lever J, provided with the slot f and rigid projection b, andarranged in relation to the ratchet I on the shaft H, as set forth.

CHARLES J. BEASLEY.

